CELTIC’S Europa League Group E rivals Lazio were involved in a remarkable bust-up at the weekend as they beat Fiorentina 2-1 with a last-gasp goal.
French superstar Franck Ribery, who joined the Florence side from Bayern Munich on a free transfer in the summer, blew his top and has copped a three-game ban for “threatening behaviour” towards the referee’s assistant.
The former Champions League winner, 36, pushed the linesman twice as the home side protested the Rome outfit’s points-clinching winner.
Footage showed the winger remonstrating with match officials after the final whistle.
The Fiorentina players claimed Lazio’s Jordan Lukaku had fouled Riccardo Sotil in the build-up to the goal and were angry the referee did not review the incident on the pitch-side monitor, instead relying on a silent check by the VAR official.
Ribery blatantly shoved one of the assistant referees before being restrained by team-mates and was shown the red card.
Serie A’s disciplinary tribunal said that the player had approached the official with “threatening behaviour” and pushed him twice.
In a statement on his Twitter page, Ribery said: “I am very sorry for last night, I apologise to my teammates, to the coach, to the fans.”
Neil Lennon’s men beat the Serie A cracks 2-1 in Glasgow last week and will play the return in Rome a week on Thursday.
